November 01, 2011

Brrr.....Roasted Butternut Squash Curried Soup

We've just had our first snowfall - in the fall. If that isn't occasion enough for soup, I don't know what is!

There are few things in my humble opinion that comes close to the joy of this roasted vegetable nestled with herbs emerging from a hot oven. And my love for butternut squash exceeds all apprehensions.

And speaking of which I refer to the slight apprehension that overcomes me each and everytime I have a Chef's knife poised over the hard skull of a butternut squash. Murmuring a string of prayers, kids safely tucked away into their rooms, I intensely focus on two thoughts -

1) Under all circumstances emerge from this with all ten fingers intact.

2) Overcome fear of said task by thinking of the warm, toe curling soup that awaits at the end of this tunnel.

The roasted glistening skin now tender and soft to touch with the succulent flesh almost saccharin sweet as the squash has released all its natural sweetness, is a wonderful thing to behold. And all of this goodness is only outdone by the addition of some madras curry powder, naturally sweet coconut milk and a scattering of plump raisins.

Now here I believe is a soup fit for a weeknight treat or any holiday meal. Like the good ones this recipe is inspired by the best of the season and nature's bounty.

Half an hour through the roasting process, toss the vegetables so they cook evenly.

Pierce the squash and sweet potato with a knife or skewer to make sure they are completely soft, all the way through.

Remove the baking tray from the oven and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

Set up a blender. Add some of the roasted vegetables and 1-1/2 cups of chicken stock. Puree to a smooth pulp. How much of the veggies to add, depends on the size of your blender so make sure you don't go over the 'max line' on your blender jar.

Continue to puree till all the vegetables are mushed down to a pulp. Do these in batches as necessary. Continue to use chicken stock as needed to thin down the pulp.

Sieve the pulp through a large sieve (preferably stainless steel) especially if the pulp is still hot and push down hard with a metal spoon to collect the squash soup into a clean sauce pan at the bottom.

Run more chicken stock through the sieve as needed to get all of the good stuff leaving behind only the hard bits from the squash skin etc

Once you have pushed all of the vegetable pump though the sieve, once again in batches, place the sauce pan on the stove on low heat. Add coconut milk, light brown sugar, raisins, madras curry powder and any remaining chicken stock.

Keep stirring on medium heat till the soup has warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning especially the spiciness from the curry powder and the sugar. Also add salt at this point. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings one final time. Add a final dollop of butter.

Just before serving, heat through over medium heat.

Swirl some coconut milk in the center and add a sprig of cilantro for color.

How wonderful does that look?

The coconut milk is a wonderful substitute to the usual heavy cream and lightens up the soup considerably. The madras curry powder does wonders adding a lovely aroma and hint of spiciness to the soup.

The occasional sweet tartness from the raisins add a touch of whimsy ever so often. This ones a keeper on dinner table and I hope on yours too!

Recipe for

Curried Butternut Squash

Preparation time - 10 minutes

Roasting & Cooking time - about 1 hr - 15 minutes

Serves 4

Shopping list:

1 large butternut squash

1 large sweet red potato

1 large or 2 small yellow onions

1/4 cup golden raisins

3/4 tsp madras curry powder

5 cups homemade or carton low sodium chicken stock

1 can asian coconut milk

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

Preparation -

Use a large baking pan or sheet. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F.

Butternut Squash -Cut of ends and discard. Scoop and discard all the seeds and membranes with a spoon. Cut the squash into large chunks. Place on the baking tray.

Onions - Peel, discard ends and skin. Cut into large chunks and place on the baking tray.

Half an hour through the roasting process, toss the vegetables so they cook evenly.

Pierce the squash and sweet potato with a knife or skewer to make sure they are completely soft, all the way through.

Remove the baking tray from the oven and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

Set up a blender. Add some of the roasted vegetables and 1-1/2 cups of chicken stock. Puree to a smooth pulp. How much of the veggies to add, depends on the size of your blender so make sure you don't go over the 'max line' on your blender jar.

Continue to puree till all the vegetables are mushed down to a pulp. Do these in batches as necessary. Continue to use chicken stock as needed to thin down the pulp.

Sieve the pulp through a large sieve (preferably stainless steel) especially if the pulp is still hot and push down hard with a metal spoon to collect the squash soup into a clean sauce pan at the bottom.

Run more chicken stock through the sieve as needed to get all of the good stuff leaving behind only the hard bits from the squash skin etc

Once you have pushed all of the vegetable pump though the sieve, once again in batches, place the sauce pan on the stove on low heat. Add coconut milk, light brown sugar, raisins, madras curry powder and any remaining chicken stock.

Keep stirring on medium heat till the soup has warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning especially the spiciness from the curry powder and the sugar. Also add salt at this point. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings one final time. Add a final dollop of butter.

Just before serving, heat through over medium heat.

Swirl some coconut milk in the center and add a sprig of cilantro for color.

Comments

We've just had our first snowfall - in the fall. If that isn't occasion enough for soup, I don't know what is!

There are few things in my humble opinion that comes close to the joy of this roasted vegetable nestled with herbs emerging from a hot oven. And my love for butternut squash exceeds all apprehensions.

And speaking of which I refer to the slight apprehension that overcomes me each and everytime I have a Chef's knife poised over the hard skull of a butternut squash. Murmuring a string of prayers, kids safely tucked away into their rooms, I intensely focus on two thoughts -

1) Under all circumstances emerge from this with all ten fingers intact.

2) Overcome fear of said task by thinking of the warm, toe curling soup that awaits at the end of this tunnel.

The roasted glistening skin now tender and soft to touch with the succulent flesh almost saccharin sweet as the squash has released all its natural sweetness, is a wonderful thing to behold. And all of this goodness is only outdone by the addition of some madras curry powder, naturally sweet coconut milk and a scattering of plump raisins.

Now here I believe is a soup fit for a weeknight treat or any holiday meal. Like the good ones this recipe is inspired by the best of the season and nature's bounty.